


sinking down with u

by ihaneul



Category: Khiphop, School Rapper (Korea TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, SO SAD, School Rapper, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, no explicit scenes because they're young, why is there no school rapper tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-04-21 08:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14280852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihaneul/pseuds/ihaneul
Summary: My very first story! These two dorks from the show School Rapper 2 captured my attention with their sudden closeness. Plus the song that they did together (called Barcode btw) was the most beautiful thing ever. Welcome to the first Haon/Byungjae story. PS, these guys are underaged, so no explicit moments or things more intense than a kiss will be depicted.Please leave kudos and comments :)





	1. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byungjae hates waiting. And other rappers. 
> 
> But for some reason he had let Yoonho sign him up for this School Rapper thing. Which he will most likely regret as soon as the first episode airs.

Byungjae was tense. He could feel it in the way his nails cut into his palms, leaving behind crescent shaped marks. Byungjae figured that being in a room with a bunch of strangers would make him feel a bit on-edge, but he didn’t think that it would make him feel this stressed. While he had come in with his crew initially, Byungjae had wanted to sit alone to go over some more lyrics in his head without the incessant chatter of Yoonho or Yeonseo to distract him.

 

Of course that was an awful idea. And obviously he realized that way too late.

 

Byungjae could feel the prickle of unwanted stares that came with being alone. Still murmuring his lines to himself, Byungjae stood and made his was towards where his fellow Kiff Clan members were seated, hunching his shoulders as he shuffled over. It was better to be grouped together with his idiotic crew members than to be analyzed by all the other rappers in the room.

 

The stares of the other contestants were making Byungjae antsy. 

 

He could feel their judging gazes on him, cautious but curious, as they sized him up, probably wondering how much of a threat he posed. Byungjae was well aware that many of them didn’t know that he was Vinxen, the gloomy, intense rapper behind the soundcloud mixtape that shot him into the limelight, at least among the underground world. He knew exactly what he looked like to the other rappers. With his puffy cheeks and shaggy hair, Byungjae figured that he didn’t seem like much of a threat. 

 

Perhaps a bit unnerving, but not any sort of competition.

 

That was, until he made his way towards Yoonho and the other Kiff Clan guys. He knew that the other rappers in the room, especially the ones who had been around longer, would definitely get a clue as to who he was from this action. 

 

This thought was affirmed in the narrowing of Jo Wonwoo's sharp eyes. Similarly, seated a couple chairs down, Oh Damryul's stubby eyebrows rose up in surprise. Those two were savage rappers, and Byungjae was pleasantly surprised that he had caused the two of them to be on-edge.

 

As he settled into a seat near Yoonho, Byungjae noticed Jaemin look up briefly from his phone, soft, almond-shaped eyes giving him a cursory glance. Jaemin was a good guy, slightly soft-spoken, but fierce once he got his hands on the mic. He was a classic pretty boy with oddly blank eyes. Sometimes, during rap battles, those eyes seemed to stare through his fellow rappers as if they were simply air. With his looks, Jaemin seemed much more like one of those idol-rappers rather than a true underground kid. 

 

There had even been rumors that he had been casted for SM and YG. 

 

That was why, when Yoonho had introduced the soft-looking boy as their newest Kiff Clan member, Byungjae was a bit surprised. Thankfully, Jaemin had gotten along well enough with everyone, able to fire back verbal jabs just as fast as he received them. However, there was an underlying distance that Jaemin had created between himself and the other Kiff members. Whether it was out of shyness or unwillingness to open up, that cool distance sometimes gave Byungjae the chills. Occasionally, Jaemin's aura felt like he was an unassuming predator, hiding amongst his prey. 

 

 _Like a wolf in sheep's clothing._ Byungjae thought ruefully.

 

Pushing the brief, but amusing image of Jaemin in a sheep costume out of his mind, Byungjae turned his attention back to the clock, internally sighing at how much time was left until he had to go in front of the cameras.

 

Huffing quietly through his nose, Byungjae shook his head, dark bangs whisking gently over the bridge of his nose. He leaned closer to Yoonho, trying to ward of the tension in his limbs with some skinship from his leader. Yoonho was an understanding and perceptive guy, so Byungjae was sure that he noticed the nervousness that had settled in his hunched shoulders. As predicted, the Kiff Clan leader reached over to pat Byungjae on the back a couple times, sending him a comforting smile. He grimaced back, sadly not as comforted by his leader’s touch as he thought he’d be.

 

Yoonho responded by pulling a weird face, complete with a double chin and crossed eyes. Only a smack delivered to the backside of his head, courtesy of Jaemin, stopped Yoonho from completely destroying Kiff Clan's image. As their leader cried out in indignation and turned his annoying behavior on his attacker, Byungjae turned away, not wanting to see the two's daily instance of flirting-disguised-as-fighting.

 

A sudden sharp bang from the door to the waiting room flying open made Byungjae jump in his seat, eyes immediately focusing on whoever decided to open the door so loudly. He guessed that it was probably Yoon Byungho, as that guy had been just as loud and brash last season. 

 

_Those Dickids crew guys are always a handful._ Byungjae mused, remembering Yang Hongwon and Lee Soorin from last season. 

 

Bracing himself for an outburst typical of anyone in the Dickids crew, Byungjae reached up to cover his ears, anticipating Byungho's usual loudness. To his surprise, it wasn’t Bully and his Dickids gang that came stalking into the room. Instead, a gangly, slightly frazzled looking guy appeared in the doorway. With poofy brown hair and a bright striped shirt, this new kid already made Byungjae’s eyes hurt.

 

He looked away as the boy entered, hands falling down from his ears, determined to ignore the new distraction in favor of practicing his lyrics once more.

 

*****

 

It had been several minutes since the loud newcomer had arrived, and Byungjae felt his stomach grumble in dissent, realizing that he hadn't eaten in a couple hours. As he turned to ask Yoonho if he has any Snickers left in his bag, something made Byungjae pause. He could feel a pair of eyes on him, but the gaze didn't feel malicious. Looking over to meet the eyes of whomever was staring, Byungjae was startled when he met the unwavering stare of the poofy-haired newcomer.

 

When the other boy realized that Byungjae was meeting his eyes though his thick bangs, the boy flashed a large and disarming smile in his direction. Ducking his head to break their eye contact, Byungjae frowned slightly, not used to random people smiling at him so brightly.

 

He wasn't aware that his ears had turned bright red, amusing the new boy immensely.


	2. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Byungjae remembers how he got into this mess in the first place. Then wonders if he has gotten himself into a bigger mess.

Another hour had passed before staff from the show started filing in. A couple of them had clipboards in hand and began to call out names of certain rappers, eventually forming four distinct groups. As his name was called and he shuffled foreword, Byungjae glanced at the other members of his group. They probably wouldn’t start competing against each other just yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to size up his potential competition. As he glanced at the faces around him, Byungjae was mildly surprised to find that he recognized most of the rappers in his immediate vicinity. As more kids walked up to stand near their respective groups, Byungjae became puzzled at how they had sorted everyone. Obviously it was different from last season, as he was in a group with Jo Wonwoo, a Busan native.

Maybe it’s by age, Byungjae wondered, glancing over at the rest of the groups. 

This was definitely the case, he realized, as he noticed the smallest group that contained a mere four rappers. They looked like they belonged in elementary school rather than on a show for high schoolers. It was especially hilarious when he compared their fresh faces to his fellow crew member, Bae Yeonseo, who was standing nearby.  
Dressed in an old man’s suit and an oatmeal colored turtleneck, Yeonseo looked more like a teacher than a rap competition contestant. However, his bleached blonde hair pulled back in a man bun offset that look.

Byungjae couldn’t bring himself to understand what possessed his fellow Kiff Clan member to dress the way he did. 

*******

It was quite a sight to see that morning, when the crew had met up at their favorite cafe to wish the participating members good luck. With one glance at Yeonseo, chaos had erupted at their table. The highlight was when Yoonho, who was mid-sip, had choked and sprayed his americano all over Jaemin’s face. That had caused a small tussle, as Jaemin had lunged across the table to grab Yoonho’s shirt-front, murder written all over his face. Yoonho had tried to scramble away, fear making him freeze up and fall out of his chair. The brief altercation ended quickly and violently, with their resident pretty boy storming off to fix his coffee-sodden appearance, leaving the Kiff Clan leader splayed out on the floor, dazed and covered in crumbs, with half of a muffin stuck in his hair.

The rest of the Kiff Clan members were of no help to their distraught members, all of them too busy joining together to tease Yeonseo, howling with laughter at the ridiculous getup. Yoonho was left alone to recover from the aftermath of Jaemin's muffin bomb and strangualtion-via-shirt-collar. After recovering from the shock of being assaulted by a pastry, he was mournfully salvaging pieces of his crushed muffin, the main casualty of Jaemin’s anger, while glancing towards the bathroom. 

Byungjae remembered feeling exasperated as he turned towards his leader. “You should just go apologize. I’m sure he’s just tense because of nerves.” He murmured, not making eye contact. While he didn’t like meddling in the romantic affairs of others, Byungjae didn’t want to see his friend sad just because his crush was angry. 

It must be nice to be so close to someone. Byungjae thought wistfully, as Yoonho as left to go apologize and comfort Jaemin. 

While Byungjae was the founder of Kiff Clan, and while he loved his crew members like family, there was no one that he felt like he could open up to completely. He knew that all his friends were supportive and always had his back, but it still felt like there was something, or someone, still missing from Byungjae’s life. 

******

Before he could ponder more on his feelings in the cafe, the staff had started leading the groups out of the room. 

Following closely behind Yeonseo, Byungjae eyed the rest of the contestants in his group through his thick bangs. Other than Jo Wonwoo, the reigning freestyle champion, there was also Lee Jieun, a popular female contestant from last season. Some unfamiliar faces were also sprinkled in the group, undoubtedly newbies that were looking to gain some popularity from appearing in School Rapper. An uncharacteristically quiet Yoon Byungho brought up the back of the group, fiddling with his phone and wringing his hands together nervously. Byungjae felt bad for the Dickids member. He knew that Bully had gotten a lot of hate for his overconfident attitude last season, so it made sense that he was nervous for how the cameras would depict him this season. 

That reminded Byungjae of what Yoonho had said to him before they left the cafe. His leader had pulled him aside, worry making a small furrow between his eyebrows. After gesturing for Jaemin, whom he had made up with a few minutes beforehand, to leave without him, Yoonho turned towards Byungjae. 

“I know I was the one who made you join in our audition tape, but you have to know that it’s ok if you don’t want to do this show.” Yoonho murmured to Byungjae, gently grabbing his arms and squeezing comfortingly. “I know things have been really rough for you recently, so I don’t want to force you into anything that will make things worse. Especially with the way Mnet producers edit things. I don’t want you becoming uncomfortable because the producers decide to make you into a bad guy on tv.”

Byungjae grimaced slightly at Yoonho’s words, turning his head to break eye contact with the dirty blonde boy. He stared at his crew members as they goofed off outside of the cafe, trying to pick apart his emotions in that instance. The pressure that had settled in his chest intensified as he remembered the loneliness that had overtaken him while he was caught in his own dark emotions. An unsettling feeling rolled though his stomach as Byungjae thought about those times of emptiness and murky thoughts. He didn’t want to go back to those moments. Being alone just made his bad thoughts grow stronger, made him draw deeper in himself and get lost in the emptiness.  
Shaking his head to try and throw off any unhappy thoughts that persisted, Byungjae looked back at Yoonho. One of his eyes was in full sight, his bangs having shifted to reveal one of them, slightly droopy and marked with shadows due to lack of sleep. Byungjae felt an overwhelming weariness as he responded to Yoonho, not entirely sure that his decision was the right one.  
  
“I’m coming with you guys.” He rasped, coughing to clear his throat. Nerves had caused his lungs to tighten up, which made him sound more stressed than he was leading on.  
Smirking ruefully as he brushed past Yoonho towards the door, Byungjae exited with a few more words, meant to comfort his leader into thinking that he was alright.  
“Besides, we need Kiff Clan’s best rapper there to make sure our crew doesn’t get a bad rap.”  
  
“Who said you’re the best in our crew!” Yoonho cried out in mock disbelief, following after Byungjae to rejoin the other guys out front. 

******

Byungjae breathed in deeply as he stood before the second year’s classroom, the muffled voices other contestants escaping from behind the sliding door. He could feel his chest constrict briefly as his heart thudded in his ears and a chill ran down his spine.

This was the first time he would appear in front of the cameras, the first time he could make an impression and show off his skills. Byungjae was not so much worried about how he would appear on television as he was worried about if he would even appear at all. While there were enough Kiff Clan members to indicate that their crew was strong, Byungjae secretly feared that he wouldn’t make half as much of an impression as the other Kiff guys. 

Steeling his nerves, Byungjae reached out and slid open the door, revealing desks arranged in a half circle, some seats already filled. He noticed a sudden chill in the air as he shuffled over to a desk, feeling everyone’s eyes following his movements. Shrinking slightly into himself, Byungjae looked down at his lap, not wanting to make accidental eye contact with anyone. 

Eventually, the silence was broken, and the conversation between the other contestants resumed. The popular girl from last season, Lee Jieun, tried to ask him a question, but he was so caught off guard by it that his answer stuck in his throat. After the question had hung in the air for a beat too long, no other contestant had dared to address him afterwards.

Several more people trickled in through the door, all avoiding the seat right next to Byungjae. He didn’t mind though, as it meant that no one would try and force him to talk while he was still wound up with nerves. Hopefully Yeonseo would come soon and take the vacant seat.

That was probably the only benefit to having him around. That and as comic relief. 

However, the next high schooler to enter the room was not Byungjae’s fellow Kiff Clan member. Instead, it was the poofy-haired boy from earlier. 

As he bounded into the classroom, Byungjae hoped that he wouldn’t sit next to him. Bright and friendly people like that were extremely difficult for him to deal with.

Unfortunately for Byungjae, the fates were against him. After stopping to briefly examine a skateboard in the back, as well as chat with another contestant, the boy in the obnoxious striped shirt plopped right down in the seat next to Byungjae, examining the camera on the desk in front of him in awe. 

Byungjae groaned to himself, praying that the other boy would decide to ignore him in favor of the other contestants in the room. He briefly noted that the boy had introduced himself.

“My name is Haon." The boy said, looking around at the other contestants. "It means to spread the blue sky all over the world,” the boy, no Haon, finished cheerfully. He seemed too chipper and lively compared to the stereotypical behavior of an underground rapper, Byungjae thought, watching the other boy through the gaps in his bangs.

Almost like he could tell he was being observed, Haon turned to Byungjae, his smile stretching even wider once he noticed Byungjae was the one looking at him.

While Haon seemed harmless and friendly, Byungjae didn’t quite trust that glimmer in his eyes, especially when that gaze was directed at him.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_ Byungjae wondered, eyeing the other boy cautiously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might have noticed that Byungjae's internal monologue is somewhat different from how he acts in the show. While I know that Byungjae is proud of his talents as a rapper, I also want to try and do my best to express how he might be feeling inside. That includes him being doubtful of himself, being nervous, and even being unaware that most everyone in the waiting room probably knew who he was before he walked over the other Kiff Clan guys. I'll try to do my best to show the duality of inner and outer Byungjae as the story progresses. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos and comments, they make my day :D


	3. Familiar Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byungjae feels harassed and a few familiar faces show up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry for vanishing off the face of this earth...  
> A lot has happened but I hope that you all will enjoy this chapter.  
> Thanks for reading :)

As the second year rappers waited for the next contestant to enter the room, Byungjae looked down at his hands, trying not to make eye contact with any of the other rappers in the room. 

Secretly he prayed for Yeonseo to hurry up and join him, just so the other contestants in the room would stop eyeing him. 

Meanwhile, Haon seemed determined to kill Byungjae with questions. 

“Where are you from?”

“Incheon.”

“You have white hair?”

“Hm.” Byungjae grunted, feeling more white hairs growing from Haon’s intense stare. 

“You don’t go to school?”

“Yeah.”

“Why did you drop out?”

“Dunno.”

“When did you drop out.”

“...”

“It must’ve been hard.” Haon murmured, reaching over to rub Byungjae’s back, a bright smile on his face. 

Byungjae froze at the contact, glancing over to the other boy, a faint blush painting his soft cheeks. Usually it was him initiating skinship, not the other way around.

 

Later, as he watched the first episode, Byungjae was mildly embarrassed that the cameras had caught their entire interaction, and that the editors had decided to play up the contrast between him and Haon. His embarrassment grew as Yeonseo, who was watching the episode with him, howled with laughter. After attacking his crew member with a couple of well placed punches, Byungjae had settled back down into his chair, ears bright red in embarrassment. 

 

Currently, Byungjae’s eyes were gazing off into nothingness, sending a quick prayer for god to rescue him from the nosey boy next to him. 

Thankfully his prayers were answered as Yeonseo, in all his oddly-dressed glory, entered the room. His appearance had momentarily distracted Haon from his barrage of questions.

Byungjae smirked as Yeonseo approached the desks, glad that his crew member had finally decided to make an appearance. His amused smile had not escaped Haon’s attention, and as Byungjae turned his gaze away from Yeonseo, Haon’s interested gaze flitted between him and his crew member. Yeonseo snorted in amusement, noticing Byungjae’s pink cheeks and the fluffy haired boy next to him. However, upon locking eyes with Byungjae’s neighbor, a slight chill ran down Yeonseo’s back. While the boy gave of a harmless and innocent aura, his eyes were surprisingly sharp and intense.

“Are you two friends?” Haon asked Yeonseo cheerfully, curiosity clear in his eyes.  
Yeonseo nodded as he settled into one of the desks. 

“We’re part of the same crew.” He responded, looking proud as the other contestants began eyeing him and Byungjae. 

Almost all the desks were filled at that point, and only two other rappers had not entered, purposely left for last, as they were more well known because of their appearance in season 1. 

A familiar figure slid open the door, an easygoing smirk on his face. Byungjae was slightly surprised to see Byungho strolling in as if he owned the place. This was completely different from the anxious boy he had seen in the waiting room. Byungjae supposed that people changed in front of the camera, and some more than others. 

After proclaiming himself the judge of season two and strolling to the chair next to Jieun, the mood in the room significantly lightened with Byungho’s presence. Byungjae noticed that Yeonseo agreed, although the way his crew member voiced it was slightly tense. 

“Here comes the crew-vs-crew tension,” he murmured to himself, glancing at his fuzzy-haired neighbor who was obviously interested in the famous face. 

Thankfully, before Byungho made any more inflammatory comments that would inevitably lead to a fistfight between him and Byungjae’s man bun-adorned friend, the final contestant walked in.


End file.
